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Wednesday 15 September 2010

The Gluten Challenge

For a while now, I have suspected I have some issue with digesting gluten. Having eliminated dairy, I can see pretty clearly that my only trigger for major IBS upsets are foods like bread, pasta (oh you're the worst!) and biscuits. When I don't eat them, I have no IBS at all. Little did I know, when I decided to drop these bellystabbing pseudo-friends that I would have to welcome them back again in order to find out if I have coeliac disease.

I went to see my doctor on 3rd september to see about getting the test done, deciding to leave it until early October as I knew I would be off work for a week before and I would be finished my triathlon training. As it turns out, I had been suffering from pancreatitis from early August which got bad enough to land me in hospital last week. Still not in great shape, I'm going to be off work for 2 weeks, and then on holiday for a week after that. Even though I'm recovering from illness, I reckon I ought to do this gluten challenge now, as I have three weeks to curl up in misery if that's what it does to me (I would put a fair amount of money on it). The doctors all thought my pancreatits had nothing to do with any food intolerances/allergies/coeliac disease, so really there's no medical advice telling me not to do this. I suppose I should be glad I haven't been avoiding gluten for longer (really only from mid August) and for a while in June, although I lapsed in July (and got unwell again). If I do get very sick, my dad is a friend of the consultant who treated me in hospital, so I can get help pretty quickly.

Wish me luck, as I attempt to consume lots of tasty but evil bread and hope that three weeks is sufficient for the blood tests, whatever the result is. I may as well eat all my favourite gluteny things...

4 comments:

  1. IDK this sounds like fun to me... there's danger, risk, and lots of junk food. What an adventure! Good luck. I really hope you don't get sick. I hope that you find out exactly what's ailing you without too much pain! :)

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  2. Nothing too serious so far, just the return of lots of smelly gas within an hour of eating bread again. I was completely free of IBS symptoms from mid-August when I got really strict about the gluten thing. Quite crampy and uncomfortable and a bit nauseous (kept me awake last night) but nothing really bad and I'm off work anyway.
    Yes, I'm going to eat all my favourite breads! Sourdough, malted flour, here I come. I'm a bit scared of wheaty cereals still, they are hellish on my gut.

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